I went into marriage at age 34, after a long series of failed relationships — but I have never been more certain that it was absolutely the right choice, because it took all those failures to teach me what to value in a life partner.

It was his second marriage, and I am eternally grateful to wife #1 because she was such an easy act to follow — she was a really terrible wife, but he spent six years in hell trying to make that marriage work.

With that kind of loyalty and stubborn sticking power, I knew we were going to make it work. And we have. In April, we will have been married for 38 years — more of my life than all the years before our wedding day.

So for those of you who are cynical about Valentine’s Day, for all those who say it’s just a ploy to sell more cards and flowers and chocolate and jewelry, please click:

Ignore all the commercialization — because a Day set aside for Love and Romance is so much needed in this world.